Loose leaf binders



July 14; 1959 E. GEMPE ET AL I OOSE LEAF BINDERS Filed Jan. 30, 1956 5 r P4 r 2 H C W f M/ United fit'ates Patent LOOSE LEAF BINDERS Erich Gempe, Bonn, and Ernst Heimlich, Beuel-Vilich, Germany, assignorsto F. Soennecken, Bonn, Germany, a German kommanditgesellschaft Application January 30, 1956, Serial No. 562,326

Claims priority, application Germany February 8, 1955 4 Claims. (Cl. 129-11) This invention relates to a loose leaf binder, or file, for papers and the like, consisting of a-base plate with rigid filing pins and pivotally mounted arched closing members connected by a crank-type otfset pivoting memher under tension from a leaf spring, and of an opening and closing device actuated by pressure applied in the direction of the base plate on the offset section of the pivoting member.

An opening and closing device has already been proposed which consists of two parallel and adjacent levers of which, in order to open or close the device, one or the other must be depressed. This arrangement has the disadvantage that there is insufficient room for two adjacent actuating levers between the piles of paper and the like when a file is very full. It is also possible that in operating this known device the finger may slip off the necessarily relatively narrow lever jamming the mechanism or possibly injuring the hand.

Further opening and closing devices are known which are provided with a single actuating lever that must be depressed in order to move the closing members from the open to the closed position, while to move the closing members from the closed to the open position the said actuating lever must be lifted. The primary disadvantage of this arrangement is that it is difficult to raise the actuating lever when the file is relatively full of papers and the like. In such case the finger must be placed beneath the actuating lever and there is little room for such an operation owing to the narrowness of the gap between the piles of papers and the like and the lever.

The object of the invention is to eradicate these. defects of the known mechanisms and further to provide a particularly simply constructed, easily actuated andreliable mechanism that will better fulfill practical requirements and prevent injuries through jamming or slipping of the hand. In particular, in accordance with the invention the mechanism is so constructed that the closing members are firmly held in the closed position and cannot open on their own.

By means of this invention it is achieved that no lifting of the actuating lever is necessary because both to open and close the mechanism the lever merely has to be depressed in the direction of the base plate and, in contrast to the known double-lever device, it is not necessary to consider before each operation which of the two levers must be depressed in any given case in order to cause the opening or closing of the device. Furthermore, the one single lever required in accordance with the invention has plenty of room between the stacks of papers or the like when the loose leaf binder is open. Damage to documents or injuries to the hands during operation are thereby eliminated.

Moreover, a further important advantage of the invention lies in the fact that, despite the employment of the extremely simple cranked member as the actuating member, the mechanism cannot open of its own accord because in the closed position the crank pin has been forced past the dead point of the crank. In this position, therep 7 2,894,513 Patented July 14, 1959 ice fore, the mechanism is not labile, but absolutely stable. Finally, an especially advantageous feature of the mechanism in accordance with the invention lies in the fact that it consists of very few parts, which can be manufactured and assembled easily and cheaply and which, owing to their robustness, are subject to practically no wear.

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically and by Way of example one embodiment of the invention.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 represent a side elevation of a loose leaf binder mechanism in accordance with the invention in the closed position, the open position, an intermediate position, the arched members being broken oif;

Figs. 4 and 5 are side front elevations of the mechanism as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, that is, in the closed position and in the open position respectively; and

Fig. 6 is a detail, representing a section through the crank mechanism along the line 6-6 in Fig. 3.

The loose leaf binder mechanism in accordance with the illustrated example consists of a base plate 1 on which are positioned two normally spaced filing pins 2 as well as two arched members 4 similarly spaced and pivotally mounted in hinges 3 of the base plate 1. The arched members 4 are connected with each other bya common pivoting member 5, which has an offset, U-

sure bow to move the arched members 4 to the open position.

Positioned on the base plate 1 at about the middle of the loose leaf binder mechanism is an upright support 8, preferably consisting of a strip of metal stamped out of the base plate 1 and bent upwards. On this support 8 a crank arm 10 is seated so that it will rotate round a pin 9. The crank arm 10 consists, for example, of a segment-shaped disc at the free extremity of which a crank pin 11 is seated. The crank pin'll could, per se, engage directly with the parts described below, but is preferably furnished with a front, wide pressure roller 12 and a rear, narrower curve roller 13. Furthermore, there is a projecting shoulder 14 on one side of the crank 10. The pressure roller 12 exerts pressure onthe pressure bow 6 of the pivoting member 5 of the arched members, and not only rotates, but is also mounted on the crankpin 11 so that it'has axial play in order to follow the pivoting movement of the pressure bow 6.

On the base plate 1 is a second support 15, likewise consisting of a strip of metal stamped out of the base plate and bent upwards. This support 15 has a pivot 16 on which a pressure lever 18 is pivotally mounted, the free end of which bears a button key 17. A bow spring 19 looped around the pivot 16 exerts an upward pressure against the pressure lever 18. The lower limb of the bow spring 19 thrusts against the base of the support 15. The upper limb of the bow spring 19 exerts a thrust over a hollow pivot pin 20 on the pressure lever 18. This thrust, however, is not applied direct, but through the small, bent arm 21 of a pawl 22, which is seated on the pivot pin 20. Therefore the bow spring 19 exerts upward pressure, not only on the pressure lever, but simultaneously on the pawl 22, thrusting it against the segmentshaped crank disc 10. The free end of the pawl 22 can engage the shoulder 14 of the crank disc 10.

The upward pivoting movement of the pressure lever 18 under the thrust of the bow spring 19 is limited by a stop 23 which is bent outwards from the support 15. Furthermore, the underside of the pressure lever 18 is furnished with a curved path 24 which engages the narrow curve roller 13 of the crank pin.

The manner in which the above-described loose leaf binder mechanism operates is as follows: In the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawing the loose leaf binder mechanism is closed. The pressure lever 18 is raised. The crank arm ltb'is at its lowest point so that by means of the pressure roller 12 the pressure bow 6 is held down against the thrust of the leaf spring 7. In this position the crank 10 is locked against unintentional release because the crank 10 with its crank pin 11 has been turned towards the left to a point located at the distance a beyond the lower dead point of the crank 10 (see Fig. 1). In this position the free end of the pawl 22 rests on the shoulder 14 of the crank arm 10.

If the pressure lever 18 is now pressed slightly, but not completely, downwards, the pawl 22 engages the shoulder 14 thrusting the crank arm 10 beyond the dead point towards the right. As soon as the dead point has been passed, the crank 11) snaps upwards under the thrust of the leaf spring 7, while the pawl 22 disengages from the shoulder 14 and under the pressure of the bow spring 19 is pushed sidewards, coming to rest against the crank arm 10 in the vicinity of the pivot pin 9. Simultaneously, as soon as the key button is released, the pressure lever 18 is returned to its raised position under the thrust of the bow spring 19 and also partly under the thrust imparted by the leaf spring 7 through the crank arm 10. The leaf spring 7 has simultaneously raised the pressure bow 6 whereby the arched members are pivoted to their open position. This position is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5.

If it is desired to close the loose leaf binder mechanism, it is sufiicient to depress the pressure lever 18 a second time, but this time completely. In this case the appropriately shaped curved path 24 acts over the curve roller 13 and the crank pin 11 on the crank 10 and forces the latter with its crank pin in a clockwise direction beyond the lower dead point into the position illustrated in Fig. 3. The curve 24, the shoulder 14 and the pawl 22 are shaped and positioned in such a way, and work together in such manner, that during this movement the pawl 22 slips from the shoulder 14 and comes to rest againstthe crank arm 10 below the shoulder 14, as demonstrated in Fig. 3. In this position the crank 10 has forced down the pressure bow 6 against the thrust of the leaf spring 7 and re-closed the arched members 4. If the pressure lever 18 is now released, it will return of its own accord to the position illustrated in Fig. 1, in which position the pawl 22 again engages the shoulder 14. The crank 10, on the other hand, owing to its position beyond the dead point and the fact that it cannot turn any further in a clockwise direction because of the pawl 22, remains in the position illustrated in Fig. 1. This brings the mecha- '4 nism back to its initial position in readiness for a repetition of the above procedure.

The invention, of course, is not restricted to the abovedescribed example, but covers all variations thereof within the scope of the essential idea of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. In a loose leaf binder for papers and the like having a base plate with rigid filing pins and pivotally mounted arched closing members connected by a crank-type angular member relative to the base plate and pivotally mounted under tension from a leaf spring, an opening and closing mechanism actuated by pressure applied in the direction of the base plate on the angular section of the pivoting member, comprising a single-armed lever pivotally mounted on the base plate on a fixed pivot pin, a crank pivotally mounted about a fixed pivot pin on the base plate and having a crank pin mounted at the free extremity of the crank opposite to the fixed pivot pin, the said lever being pivotally mounted on the fixed pivot pin on the base plate at right angles thereto, said crank having a shoulder in its edge, and a pawl pivotally mounted on the said lever, said pawl contacting said shoulder for opening the said closing members upon actuation of said lever, and said lever having a cam surface provided on the under side facing said base plate and cooperating with said crank pin of said crank for closing the said closing members upon actuation of said lever.

2- In a loose leaf binder according to claim 1 in which a spring is mounted bearing on the base plate at one end and extending around the pivot pin of the lever and bearing against the pawl with the other end to constantly urge the pawl against the crank.

3. In a loose leaf binder according to claim 1, in which a pressure roller is provided on the crank pin having axial play and engaging the angular member.

4. In a loose leaf binder according to claim 1, in which the base plate is provided with two upright supports at right angles to the base plate on one of which the lever is pivotally mounted and on the other of which the crank is pivotally mounted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,618,963 Knaak Feb. 22, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS 175,294 Greece Sept. 21, 1906 645,412 Greece May 27, 1937 981,365 France Jan. 16, 1951 276,726 Switzerland Oct. 16, 1951 1,095,922 France Dec. 29, 1954 748,743 Great Britain May 9, 1956 

